The hospital, a member of Main Line Health Systems, celebrated the opening of its newly expanded and redesigned Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, on Monday.

The NICU features new sophisticated equipment, including a central monitoring system that allows for constant observation of the vital statistics of every baby from the nursing station, more personalized space around each baby so parents can become more involved in their child’s care, and several other elements specifically focused on promoting safety, reducing errors and embracing a family-focused environment.

The NICU is part of the $11 million renovation and expansion of Paoli’s Hattersley Family Centered Maternity Unit, which is expected to be completed in early fall of 2013.

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According to Tina Saurman, nurse manager of the unit, “family centered” aren’t just words, they are the focus of the unit.

The expansion and upgrades are to enhance “the environment for the parents,” Saurman said. “There is a lounge with a TV, a separate lactation room so the mother can pump and leave the milk at the hospital for her baby, there is a physician room so the doctor can talk to the parents. It is very focused around family.”

The unit currently employs 117 nurses and support personnel.

The overall maternity unit expansion project involves the construction of 14 private patient rooms, 12 labor, delivery and recovery suites, four triage rooms and a larger nursery as well as the Level II NICU.

The NICU is for babies who are born prematurely, who have problems during delivery, or who develop problems while still in the hospital.

In addition, all existing patient rooms will be updated aesthetically and technologically. There will be a special bed that allows mothers to adopt any position, making the birthing process more natural, and two operating rooms adjacent to the maternity unit that will be dedicated to Cesarean births.

The expansion did not mean the hospital got larger in size.

The expanded NICU and maternity unit is a result of space that opened up when Paoli Hospital built its $145 million, 259,000-square-foot Pavilion in June 2009. The Pavilion project increased the hospital’s capacity from 157 to 220 beds, all in single rooms and included a Level II Regional Trauma Center.

With operating and recovery room activities moved to the pavilion, that space was transitioned into the expanded NICU, Saurman explained.

The rest of the maternity unit’s expansion will use what was once medical/surgical patient rooms, Saurman said. Once complete, the expanded maternity unit will offer 40 beds, all in private rooms with private bathrooms plus two new operating suites with room for a third.

According to Saurman, it has been more than five years since the physical space of the maternity unit was updated. During that time, 11,000 babies have been born at Paoli.

Currently, 2,300 babies a year are delivered at Paoli and the hospital expects that number to reach 2,900 babies by 2019.

Thirty-four percent of the deliveries are done via Cesarean section during the course of a year and more than 150 babies are cared for in the Level II NICU.

The rise in baby births does not surprise Saurman, who said Chester County is the fastest growing county in the state.

To help offset the project cost, Paoli, a not-for-profit facility, received donations from the community and the Paoli Hospital Foundation’s campaign, “Where Great Care Comes to Life.”

The official opening of the NICU included a tour of the unit attended by U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-6th of West Pikeland.